20 Things That Are Gone But Not Forgotten From Walt Disney World

17. River Country Water Park

River Country Disney World
Wikimedia

Walt Disney World's first water park, River Country, closed its doors at the end of the season in 2001 and never reopened.

The water park opened in 1976 and was plagued with many problems, from over crowding to brain-eating amoeba! The opening of higher capacity Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon water parks meant River Country was no longer required, especially after a drop in guest attendance in 2001/2002.

River Country still stands abandoned, near Fort Wilderness. Many have trespassed into the closed park, but have faced lifetime bans in the process. Even though one of the pools was filled in last year, it doesn't appear that Disney are in any hurry to tear down River Country any time soon.

16. The Sorcerer's Hat

Sorcerer Hat Hollywood Studios Disney
Wikipedia

Built in 2001, Mickey's Sorcerer's Hat became the official icon of Hollywood Studios.

Constructed for the 100 Years of Magic celebration, the hat took up residence right in front of the Chinese Theatre at the end of Hollywood Boulevard.

Many fans felt the hat was an eye sore and were delighted when it was torn down in 2015.

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Jen has been a writer and video editor at WhatCulture for over 10 years. She has a BA Hons in History from Newcastle University and in a past life worked at Beamish Open Air Museum and was a corporate trainer (BTC Award in Education and Training). Jen joined WhatCulture to discuss all things Universal Orlando Resort and Walt Disney World, as well as her love of all things movies. She has worked closely with Universal and Disney, giving WhatCulture readers breaking news and exclusives. Her knowledge of Disney parks has lead her to be published by The Sun. If you've ever completed a Disney movies or Friends quiz on WhatCulture it was probably written by Jen. Jen's love of all things Universal's Halloween Horror Nights brought her to WhatCulture's Horror Channel as a video editor. Her video edits can be found across WhatCulture's Film & TV and Horror channels, along with WhatCulture's Facebook, Instagram and TikTok accounts.